Improvement in construction of store-fronts



0. J. PURST' 8a 0. RUDOLPH.

Construction of Stove-Fronts.

Patented July 9,1878.

Jig-z N. PETERS, PHD'AU-LITHDGRAPHER, WMSl-UNGTONv D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES J. FURST AND CHARLES RUDOLPH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CONSTRUCTION OF STORE-FRONTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 205,852, dated July 9, 1878; application filed December 17, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES J. FURST and CHARLES RUDOLPH, both of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have made certain new and useful Improvements in the Construction of Store-Fronts, as fully set forth in the following specification:

The nature of our invention relates to the construction of such store-fronts as have large show-windows; and our object is to preventbreakage of the large plate glasses by an unequal settling of the building foundation.

Our invention consists in suspending the sill-plates from the lintel, instead of supporting the same by piers or iron posts from the foundation.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective front View of the store-front. Fig. 2 is a crosssection of the same; and Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged sectional end and front elevations, showing the connection of the suspension-rod ends with the lintel and sill-plate.

A is the lintel, composed of two or more iron girders laterally braced together by a series of bolts in the usual manner, and resting upon the piers B B. c is a cast-iron block, shaped so that it will fill the lower portion of the space between the girders, and resting upon the lower flanges of the same. These blocks 0 have each a hole cored through its center, for admitting the upper rounded and screwthreaded end of one of the suspension-rods D, which is secured therein by a nut, (I. These suspension-rods are shown in the drawing of X-shaped iron, to which shape, however, we do not wish to be confined, since any other may answer as well.

To the lower ends of the suspension-rods D is secured the outward end of the sill-plate E by either a key passed through a slot in the flattened end of the suspension-rods, as shown in the drawings, or by screw-bolts. The inward end of the sill-plate E is secured to the joist F in the usual manner. The spaces between the piers B and the suspension-rods D are to be occupied by the show-windows, which are generally constructed with very large and expensive glass plates, and heretofore when columns were used instead of the suspension-rods, which columns were supported from the foundation by piers or iron posts, the least difference between the settling of the foundations for the main piers B and the piers or posts which supported the sill-plates would naturally strain or break these glass plates, which, with our arrangement, is entirely obviated.

Besides the above stated advantages the cost of construction as compared with the old device is to our favor.

The lintel A may be constructed of any suitable material.

We are aware that store-shelves have been supported from a carryinggirder by suspended rods, since such construction is shown in the patent granted August 3, 1875, to H. T. Bestor.

What we claim as our invention is The method of constructing store-fronts, consisting in supporting the door and window frames by suspension from the lintel A instead of directly from the foundation, whereby the unequal settling of the foundation will not strain such frames, substantially as described.

CHAS. J. FURST. CHARLES RUDOLPH.

Witnesses:

WM. II. Lorz, FMIL II. FROMMANN. 

